My Little Pony Equestria Girls is an animated feature film starring characters resembling the main cast of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic as teenage human girls. Princess Twilight Sparkle's crown, the element of magic, is stolen by Sunset Shimmer who disappears into a mirror that leads into the human world. Without the crown, all the other Elements of Harmony will have no power to protect Equestria, so Twilight and Spike go through the mirror to chase after the culprit to retrieve her crown. They discover themselves in a new world where Twilight is a teenaged human girl and Spike is a talking dog, and find friends that resemble their pony friends from Equestria. Twilight works with her friends to become Princess of the Fall Formal to win her crown back from the human Sunset Shimmer and to "change the destiny of these two parallel worlds." The film takes place after the season three finale and before the season four premiere.[1]

Contents

Development

Jim Miller's LinkedIn profile lists his experience as a storyboard supervisor at DHX Media from November 2011 through September 2012 "Working on MLP:FIM season 3, as well as the MLP: Equestria Girls DVD."[2]

In April 2013, Daniel Ingram was asked regarding Equestria Girls "You doing songs for it?" and answered "sure am"[3] then replied again "and I Might have heard Will's terrific score as well."[4]

On May 14, 2013, it was confirmed by Meghan McCarthy that the film is written by her, directed by Jayson Thiessen, and features the same voice cast from the show.[5] On May 20, she further tweeted that the script for the film was locked in March 2012.[6]

Daniel Ingram stated in a Facebook post that he wrote six songs for the movie in a more modern pop/girl band style that would fit the high school/urban setting.[7] He also stated some of the crew who worked with him: Trevor Hoffman for vocal arrangements, David Corman and Sam Ryan for production, and collaborating with McCarthy on the lyrics.

According to IDW comics artist Andy Price, Equestria Girls[8] "was created partially to compete with doll market, but also in answer to fans 'humanized' art."[9]

Summary

Prologue: the princess summit

Flash Sentry's first appearance.

The movie opens in the Crystal Empire, with Twilight Sparkle, Spike and their friends disembarking the train at the station and heading to the Crystal Castle to attend Twilight's first princess summit since her coronation. Twilight is both nervous and excited (or "nervicited", as Pinkie puts it) about the summit and feeling self-conscious about wearing her crown, but her friends are supportive as expected, believing her new status as princess should be embraced.

In the throne room, Twilight bumps into an amber-coated Pegasusroyal guard who introduces her as "her highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle", and she and her friends meet with Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadance. Celestia takes notice of how tired Twilight and her friends look from their trip and sends the seven of them off to bed. Some time later, as she tries on her crown, Twilight is once again feeling unsure of herself, wondering what will happen now that she's a princess. Spike assures her everything will be fine, and the two of them go to sleep (though Twilight has some trouble trying to keep her wings folded).

The element of magic is stolen

Sunset stealing Twilight Sparkle's crown.

Later that night, a pony in a cloak sneaks into the castle, past the patrol of royal guards and into Twilight and Spike's guest room. Using unicorn magic, the cloaked pony switches Twilight's crown with a fake crown and attempts to make off with it. However, as the unicorn sneaks past Spike, he rolls over in his sleep at the last second, flipping his tail in the way. The thief trips over it with their back hoof, crashing into the floor and stirring Twilight and Spike from their sleep. Twilight, noticing the crown in the unicorn's saddlebag, cries "Thief!" before giving chase. Her shouts wake the other Element bearers as she passes their rooms and they quickly join the pursuit. She attempts to cut the thief off by teleporting, but the unicorn is just as skilled at teleportation as she is; uncloaked by the spell, the thief is revealed to be a mare. Twilight tackles the fleeing unicorn to the ground as they reach a chamber in the castle that houses a large mirror. During the struggle, Twilight's crown falls through the mirror. With a wicked grin and a sarcastic, insincere apology, the mystery mare untangles herself from Twilight by teleporting to the mirror and leaps through it, to Twilight and her friends' shock.

Twilight going in a mirror.

The next morning, Princess Celestia identifies the unicorn as Sunset Shimmer, her former student. She began her studies under Celestia not long before Twilight but had turned cruel and dishonest when she didn't get what she wanted as quickly as she'd liked. She subsequently abandoned her studies (eventually going through the mirror, apparently). Spike brings out the fake crown, with Princess Celestia surmising that Sunset hoped that Twilight wouldn't notice the switch right away, and by the time she did, it would be too late to retrieve the real one. When Twilight asks where Sunset fled to, the other princesses show her and her friends to the mirror.

The mirror is in fact a gateway to another world, an alternate world, that opens once every thirty moons. It used to be kept in the throne room of Canterlot Castle, as Princess Celestia hoped that Sunset Shimmer would use it to return to Equestria some day to seek her guidance. The princesses task Twilight with venturing into this other world and retrieving her crown; without it, the other Elements of Harmony are powerless, and Equestria looses one of its greatest defenses. Not only that, but the Elements do not belong on the other side. Sunset would likely use the Element of Magic to harm the inhabitants of the alternate realm, and they will not be able to defend themselves against its power.

Unfortunately, such a task has its share of complications. For one, Twilight must go alone, as sending her with all of her friends could upset the balance of the other world and complicate her mission further. What's more is that the gateway will only be open for another three days. When the moon reaches its peak in the night sky at that time, the gateway will close, and it will be another thirty moons before Twilight can use it to return to Equestria.

With some encouragement from her friends, Twilight steps through the gateway. Only moments later, an anxious Spike follows after her.

Dizzy from the journey across worlds, Twilight opens her eyes, surprised to find Spike—now a small purple-furred dog—standing before her. They at least know what his current form is, because what is even more alarming is the fact Twilight herself is now a creature they are completely unfamiliar with: a human teenager. The two find themselves outside what appears to be a castle, and immediately begin their search for Twilight's crown. However, Twilight struggles to get used to her new body, learning to walk upright and get around without magic. Twilight and Spike enter the seemingly empty "castle", and Twilight gets a first look at her new body through a display case's glass windowpane. Suddenly, a bell rings, and dozens of multi-colored teenagers pour into the hallway. An overwhelmed Twilight stumbles her way out of the crowd and bumps into a teenage boy with spiky blue hair who helps her to her feet. As Twilight watches him walk off, it becomes apparent to her and Spike that it's not a castle they're in but a school.

Twilight grows more accustomed to her human body and closely observes the inhabitants of the strange new world she's in. As she passes by faces both new and familiar to her, she listens in on a conversation between two girls: one is being considerably cruel and verbally abusive to the other. Twilight steps in to defend the girl being harassed, but her oppressor shrugs Twilight off and walks away, saying she can speak to anyone any way she wants. As Twilight comes to discover, that was Sunset Shimmer. The girl Twilight stood up for introduces herself as Fluttershy, much to Twilight's surprise. Before she can dwell on this, Fluttershy notices Spike and starts to fawn over him in the exact same manner her pony counterpart did when they first came to Ponyville. Twilight asks Fluttershy about the crown; Fluttershy tells her that she had indeed found the crown. While handing out flyers for Canterlot's animal shelter on the front lawn that morning, the crown came through the portal and struck the back of her head. Not wanting anything to happen to it, she then turned it over to Principal Celestia. With this information, Twilight and Spike head to the principal's office.

As she keeps Spike hidden in her backpack on Fluttershy's advice, Twilight enters Principal Celestia's office and asks her about the crown. Having given it to Vice Principal Luna for safekeeping, Celestia is mystified as to how the crown ended up on the front lawn. Twilight learns from the principal that the crown is to be awarded to the Princess of the upcoming Fall Formal dance. Leaving the office, Spike questions why Twilight didn't just explain the truth to the principal. She was going to, but she came to realize during the conversation how Principal Celestia would react to it; if a human ended up in Equestria and told its people about the human world, ponies would consider them crazy. With few to no alternatives, Twilight decides to run for Princess of the Fall Formal to get her crown back, but she just has no idea how to do so.

Fluttershy, Pinkie and Applejack

How not to eat an apple.

At lunch, Twilight meets Fluttershy again in the cafeteria and shares with her her decision to run for Princess of the Fall Formal. This news comes as a shock to Fluttershy, who warns Twilight that Sunset makes life miserable for those who oppose her. It's here that Twilight also learns about how isolated all the social groups of the school are from one another, from the athletes to the fashionistas to the rockers, and that she'd have to get all of them to vote for her. Twilight is still determined however, and asks where to find the head of the Fall Formal planning committee.

She and Spike enter the school auditorium, which is in the process of being decorated. There, they meet another familiar—and at the same time unfamiliar—face: Pinkie Pie. While the peppy girl is more than happy to put Twilight's name on the ballot, she's less than thrilled to know Fluttershy is involved. As the two of them talk, in enters another face Twilight recognizes: Applejack, delivering cases of fizzy apple cider with the help of Big McIntosh. Upon learning that Twilight will be running against Sunset Shimmer for Princess, Applejack warns that Sunset is not to be trusted, commenting that the only girl in the school who's even less trustworthy is Rainbow Dash. Twilight takes her leave of the auditorium, and Sunset Shimmer enters just moments later with Snips and Snails. She spares no harsh words regarding the decorations and choice of refreshments, inciting Applejack's anger. When Sunset learns that Twilight will be running against her, she goes to "meet the competition".

Sunset confronts Twilight in a barely lit, dead end hallway and gives her a verbal lashing, scoffing at her efforts to run for Princess of the Fall Formal, outright insulting and belittling her, and even threatening Spike's safety.

"You want to be a princess here? Please. You don't know the first thing about fitting in."

— Sunset Shimmer to Twilight Sparkle

Sunset orders Snips and Snails to follow Twilight and bring her something she can use to discredit Twilight in the eyes of the student body.

Mending friendships

Twilight is sleeping in the library.

A hungry Twilight comes across a vending machine, and unable to get it open, is about to kick it pony-style when she's interrupted by Trixie, who easily buys a snack from it. Realizing that she really doesn't know anything about this world, Twilight decides to do research about the school to better familiarize herself with it. Much to her delight, Canterlot High has an extensive library.

Twilight's attempts at using a computer are inept and awkward, she makes a mess of library books (handling a number of them by mouth rather than by hand), and she has trouble figuring out how to use a copy machine. Unbeknownst to her, Snips and Snails are recording her every embarrassing move via camera phone.

That evening, as the library nears closing time, it occurs to Twilight that she hadn't thought about where she and Spike are going to sleep. Luckily, Spike had thought ahead and assembled a bed out of books for them to sleep on, having discovered a rarely used section tucked away on the second floor of the library. Meanwhile, Twilight's research into the school has yielded a yearbook. Inside, she found an old photo of Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity. Although the five appear to be friends in the photo, they don't seem to be friends now. Spike reminds Twilight that she can't focus on why the girls are no longer friends: making friends and beating Sunset Shimmer comes first.

Twilight walking past students.

The next morning, Twilight is ready to make a good first impression on her fellow students, but she finds that everyone she passes in the hallway is laughing at her. As she wonders why, Rarity suddenly pulls her into an empty classroom and dresses her in a new outfit and wig. At that moment, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie enter the room. They show Twilight a video that Sunset Shimmer had posted online, showing Twilight struggling to adapt to her human form and otherwise embarrassing herself on camera. Mortified, Twilight believes that her chances of getting voted Fall Formal Princess are hopeless.

Pinkie Pie offers to help, but Fluttershy advises Twilight against accepting it. Within moments, they, Rarity, and Applejack are at each other's throats. Twilight breaks up the argument and with the yearbook photo, reminds the four that they were all friends once; the girls fondly remember the photo as being at the school's Freshman Fair. Twilight believes that Sunset Shimmer somehow broke them apart, but the girls claim it wasn't Sunset Shimmer that dismantled the four's friendship but a series of text messages and e-mails sent between them that ruined school events they put together: a text from Fluttershy to Pinkie that ruined a silent auction for the animal shelter, a message from Applejack to Rainbow Dash that ruined a bake sale, and so on. However, as the girls come to realize, none of them had sent these alleged messages.

The human Mane Six are back together.

At Twilight's encouragement, Applejack approaches Rainbow Dash on the school soccer pitch, where the two work out their misunderstandings and reconcile. With her and Applejack's friendship mended, Rainbow Dash agrees to help Twilight become Princess of the Fall Formal on one condition: beat her in a game of one-on-one. Unfortunately, despite Twilight's best effort throughout, her lack of athleticism and inexperience with sports lead to her thoroughly losing the match. However, Rainbow Dash agrees to help regardless, explaining that what she was actually doing was testing Twilight's "heart and determination", two qualities that the Fall Formal Princess should have; Twilight proved that she has both.

Behind the bleachers nearby, Snips and Snails show Sunset Shimmer photos they'd taken on their phones, eliciting an evil grin from the other pony-turned-human.

Rallying the students

Singing in the cafeteria.

In a coffee shop run by Mr. and Mrs. Cake, Twilight bumps into the boy with spiky blue hair again. As they awkwardly part ways, Twilight finds herself developing a crush on him. Rarity is quick to notice and discourage this; the boy, Flash Sentry, is apparently Sunset Shimmer's ex-boyfriend, and developing a relationship with him would likely invite more of Sunset's wrath. The six friends brainstorm ways to boost Twilight's popularity and get her the votes she needs to be named Princess. Rarity comes up with the idea of getting everyone in the school to wear fake pony ears and tails, to foster unity and school spirit.

"The five of us are obviously very different, but deep down, we're all Canterlot Wondercolts! Sunset Shimmer is the one who divided us, Twilight Sparkle is the one who united us. And we're gonna let everyone know it!"

— Rarity

The next day, the six friends put their plan into action: a lively song and dance in the school cafeteria that rouses everyone into dancing. But even as she watches on from outside the cafeteria, Sunset Shimmer isn't deterred; she has yet another task for Snips and Snails.

Later that day, everyone in the school is seen wearing Rarity's pony ears and tails, and school spirit and pride are at an all-time high. But as Applejack points out, Sunset Shimmer still walks down the hall with a smirk. She knocks on the office door of Vice Principal Luna and feigns distress, informing her that the Fall Formal decorations have been destroyed. She accuses Twilight of committing the deed, even presenting photos as evidence. A suspicious Flash Sentry listens in on their conversation, then slips away.

Twilight is brought to Luna's office, where Luna shows her the photos and says that the school can't let someone who'd do such a thing run for Fall Formal Princess. Twilight is about to lose herself to despair when there's a knock at the door. Flash Sentry enters, presenting evidence he found in the library trash can. The photos Luna was given were in fact altered to incriminate Twilight, by using cutouts of Twilight from the soccer pitch, superimposed onto backgrounds of the gym decorations being destroyed. In light of this, Luna allows Twilight to continue her Princess bid. Twilight is immensely grateful to Flash for his help, but the damage done to the auditorium means the Fall Formal will have to be postponed until the following evening. Flash asks Twilight if she wants to go the Fall Formal with him. Twilight is about to accept before she realizes what the dance's postponement means. Crying "no!" over and over, she bursts out of the vice principal's office, leaving behind a disappointed Flash Sentry.

Twilight dashes into the boutique where her friends are picking out their formal wear and ducks behind a changing room curtain, where she takes stock of the situation: if she doesn't get her crown back by that evening, the portal to Equestria will close and she'll be trapped in this world for thirty moons. Spike suggests they tell her friends the truth and let them know what's at stake, but Twilight is uncertain, worried that they'll reject her for not being human. Spike encourages her, saying that they rallied around her because they saw what was in her heart and won't care that she's actually a pony, at which Twilight tells him that she's glad he followed her. Twilight reluctantly tells her friends the truth (or rather, to Twilight and Spike's complete and utter shock, Pinkie guesses at it):

"You're from an alternate world and you're a pony princess there, and the crown actually has a magical element embedded in it that helps power up other magical elements and without it, they don't work anymore, and you need them to help protect your magical world, and if you don't get the crown tonight, you'll be stuck in this world, and you won't be able to get back for like, really, really long time!"

— Down to the smallest detail

The others are skeptical at this, until Spike speaks up to confirm this and that he is actually a dragon, shocking everyone except Fluttershy, who's thrilled to finally meet a talking animal.

"That... is...awesome!"

— Rainbow Dash's reaction to the truth

Pinkie even thinks that cleaning is fun.

With that, Twilight rallies her friends together in cleaning up and redecorating the school auditorium, an effort that many of the school's students lend a helping hand in. When the renovations are finished, Principal Celestia is so impressed by the students' efforts that she doesn't postpone the Fall Formal. As everyone leaves to get ready for the dance, Celestia reminds the students to vote for the Fall Formal Princess as they leave the gym, and a number of students cast their ballot for Twilight.

In a gym equipment storage room, Sunset Shimmer chews out Snips and Snails for going overboard in their trashing of the auditorium, as she needs the Formal to go on that night just as much as Twilight does.

The night of the Fall Formal

Twilight in her new dress for the Formal.

The girls return to the boutique to get themselves ready for the Formal later that evening. They change into fancier shoes and dresses and put on jewelry themed after each of their respective Elements of Harmony.

The girls arrive at Canterlot High later that evening in a limousine. As they enter the school, Flash Sentry pulls up in his car. He jumps out and quickly runs up to Twilight, asking if she would reconsider and have at least one dance with him. Twilight, jumbling up her words as she attempts to explain that her flurry of "no"'s earlier wasn't directed at him, accepts.

Inside the auditorium, the girls and the rest of the attendees dance to Flash Sentry and his band's live performance. Twilight notices Sunset Shimmer is nowhere to be seen and asks Rainbow Dash about it, to which Rainbow Dash replies that she isn't there because she most likely knew Twilight won the Fall Formal crown. After the band finishes their song, Principals Celestia and Luna walk on stage to announce the Princess of the Fall Formal. After some words of praise to the students for their hard work, Principal Celestia announces the winner—Twilight Sparkle.

As Principal Celestia congratulates Twilight and places the Fall Formal crown on her head, Snips and Snails sneak into the auditorium through a back door and kidnap Spike. Spike screams out for Twilight, and she runs out after the duo, followed quickly by her friends. Snips and Snails take Spike into the school courtyard near the statue, where Sunset Shimmer is waiting.

Showdown in the courtyard

Sunset ready to destroy the portal.

Twilight and her friends find themselves face-to-face with Sunset Shimmer, brandishing a sledgehammer and ready to destroy the portal back to Equestria. Twilight tells Sunset not to hurt Spike; Sunset, saying she "wouldn't dream of it", tells Snips and Snails to let Spike go. Sunset then gives Twilight an ultimatum: give the crown back and be allowed to return to Equestria, or keep the crown and never go back. Twilight, maintaining her fortitude, keeps the crown. Surprised by this, Sunset tries to reason with Twilight to hand over the crown, to which Twilight replies by explaining she's seen what Sunset has been able to do to Canterlot High even without the magic the crown will give her.

Sunset appears to give up, throwing the sledgehammer down. Twilight's friends surround her and commend her selflessness. Hearing the flurry of kind words directed towards Twilight, Sunset loses her temper and charges at Twilight, tackling her and knocking the crown off her head. During the minutes that follow, the crown repeatedly trades hands as Twilight and her friends attempt to keep it out of Sunset's, Snips', and Snails' possession. In a moment of absentmindedness, Twilight tosses the crown away, and it ends up in Sunset's hands.

Sunset Shimmer's demon form.

A giddy Sunset immediately places the crown on her head. As soon as she does this, a magical aura surrounds her and she is lifted up into the air. Twilight, her friends, and onlooking Fall Formal attendees watch in horror as Sunset is surrounded by a dark aura and transformed into a demonic creature, with red skin, fiery hair, wings, and a tail. Using her magic, Sunset proceeds to turn Snips and Snails into demons similar in appearance. The students retreat to the supposed safety of the school doors, but the transformed Sunset tears away the entire front entrance, declaring herself the students' "princess" and demanding their loyalty. She flies into the school and projects her magic onto the fleeing students, hypnotizing them into submission.

With the student body under her control, Sunset explains to Twilight that it was never her intention to destroy the portal; she wanted the crown not to rule the school but to rule Equestria, with the help of her brainwashed followers. Twilight stands her ground however, and her friends back her up. Unfazed by their defiance, Sunset hurls a fireball at Twilight to take her out. Just before the spell hits, Twilight's friends huddle around her.

Sunset cackles at her apparent victory but is shocked to find her attack had no effect. A pink force field surrounding Twilight and her friends had protected them from Sunset's attack. Twilight reasons that the magic contained in her Element of Harmony united with "those that helped create it". An aura from the crown engulfs Twilight and her friends in light, linking each of them to their Element of Harmony and giving them pony-like traits, including actual ears, wings, and hair extensions resembling tails when viewed from the front. Twilight finally proclaims that while Sunset may have the crown on her head, she cannot wield its power because she lacks the most powerful magic of all: the magic of friendship.

The magic surrounding Twilight and her friends explodes, causing a double-helical rainbow to shoot out and engulf Sunset Shimmer in a rainbow-colored tornado that strips her of her power and releases the students of her mind control.

Aftermath

"I bet they can teach you." - Twilight Sparkle

As the bright light dissipates, the students congregate at the front of the school. Spike runs out to Twilight, who is lying on the ground with her friends. Twilight picks up Spike and hugs him while their friends approach her. The seven of them notice a large crater in the ground, with Sunset Shimmer—returned to normal—lying at the bottom of it.

Twilight tells Sunset that she will never be able to rule in Equestria and that she has shown everyone who she really is. Sunset, reduced to tears, apologizes to everyone for what she's done. Twilight goes on to say that the magic of friendship exists everywhere, not just in Equestria, and that Sunset can either seek it out or "forever be alone". Sunset explains she doesn't know anything about friendship, to which Twilight points to her friends and says they can teach her.

As Spike cheers the girls on, Principal Celestia walks up to give Twilight her crown back, announcing that what everyone had seen that night was exemplary of how a princess should act. Flash Sentry then extends his hand to Twilight, asking her for a dance. The scene cuts to the auditorium once more, with the students dancing to a reprise of "This is Our Big Night". Flash Sentry joins Twilight in a very equine dance style before Photo Finish takes a group picture of Twilight, her friends, and Spike.

Epilogue: Return to Equestria

"We've got to stop bumping into each other like this."

Twilight embraces her friends in the school courtyard and asks them to look out for Sunset Shimmer. As she asks this, Vice Principal Luna hands Sunset a masonry trowel, with Snips and Snails following up with a wheelbarrow of bricks in order to repair the wall. Twilight tells her friends that although they had only known each other for a short time, she will miss them dearly. Spike compliments Twilight on her crown on the way to the portal, and the two finally step through. The moon rises to its peak to cover over the center star and with a flash of moonlight, the portal closes behind them, causing Twilight's friends to lose their pony ears, wings, and added hair. Pinkie Pie attempts to follow Twilight and Spike through the portal, only to smack into a solid surface.

Back in Equestria, Twilight's friends and the princesses wait patiently for her return. Twilight emerges through the portal, teetering on her hind legs as she is once again a quadruped, and drops down to all four hooves. Her friends run up to greet her, congratulating her on her return and the retrieval of her crown. Princess Celestia asks about Sunset Shimmer, and Twilight replies that she's been left in good "hands". As a confused Rainbow Dash and Rarity look at each other, Spike comes through the portal shortly after.

Princess Twilight's more sure of herself.

Twilight's friends walk through the castle with her and bombard her with questions, but Twilight tells them she's too tired from all the dancing, eliciting a shocked reaction from them. Twilight bumps into the same royal guard she'd bumped into before her journey began, mirroring her encounter with Flash Sentry in the human world. Twilight asks who the guard is, and Princess Cadance explains that he's a new member of the royal guard named Flash Sentry. Twilight's friends immediately pick up that Twilight may have a crush on him and playfully tease her, and Pinkie Pie—much like her human counterpart had—manages to guess Flash Sentry's exact actions from Twilight's time in the other world.

"Totally reminds you of a guy you met in the other world who played guitar, was in a band, and helped prove you didn't destroy all the decorations for a big dance, so you could still run for princess of the big dance, and then asked you to dance at that dance?! Right?"

— Down to the smallest detail

After a surprised reaction from Twilight and Pinkie Pie explaining that it was "just a hunch", the scene transitions from a confident Twilight and a happy Spike to an upward internal to external view of the Crystal Empire into the sky. The scene fades to black and the credits roll.

The New York Times published an article on May 12, 2013, covering the film's future release and other details in its development. The article included a trailer which was later uploaded in HD to the mylittlepony YouTube channel. The trailer features a song which was not created by Daniel Ingram and does not appear in the film.[10][11]

Early publicity

Equestria Girls was announced in Kidscreen magazine's February/March 2013 issue, which was both distributed at the 2013 American International Toy Fair and released online. An article which covers Hasbro's 2013 plans mentioned that "A new companion series called Equestria Girls is set to air this spring, sending the pony heroes on a mission to a new world where they take on human form", and an image included by the article is captioned "As My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic reaches the 65-ep mark, the series is set to spawn spin-off Equestria Girls, in which the ponies take on human form".[12] Between the issue's Toy Fair distribution and online release, the editor of Kidscreen stated that Equestria Girls is a completely separate show that will have no bearing on My Little Pony Friendship is Magic.[13]

At the beginning of March 2013, The New York Times News Service/Syndicate listed an image of the six main characters each as a pony and as a human, all under a My Little Pony Equestria Girls logo,[14] and The New York Times itself published an article both online and in print, mentioning that Hasbro "plans to introduce a new extension this fall called Equestria Girls" to celebrate the My Little Pony brand's thirtieth anniversary and including the image without the logo.[15]

Branding

On December 17 and 18, 2012, Hasbro filed trademarks of "EQUESTRIA GIRLS", the first for "Toy ponies and accessories for use therewith"[16] and the second for "Entertainment services, namely an on-going animated television series for children" and "Dolls, doll clothing, and doll accessories".[17]

Live-action music video

On August 30, 2013, Entertainment Weekly released a live-action music video depicting six young female kids as the Equestria Girls (specifically the main six's human counterparts and Sunset) doing a new dance routine called "The EG Stomp" to a shorter Toy Commercial version of "Equestria Girls (Cafeteria Song)" in a school cafeteria.[18]

Release

Film festival

The Los Angeles Film Festival held the world premiere of the film on June 15, 2013.[19] The festival provided in the month prior to the screening a few promotional images of the main characters with pony-like ears, tail-like hair extensions, and in one image wings for Twilight Sparkle and the characters who look like Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

Theatrical

My Little Pony Equestria Girls was distributed to theaters in limited release on June 16, 2013. The following synopsis is given on multiple official websites, sometimes without the first sentence:

"My Little Pony Equestria Girls is a brand new full-length feature introducing an exciting new dimension to the incredibly popular My Little Pony brand. When a crown is stolen from the Crystal Empire, Twilight Sparkle pursues the thief into an alternate world where she transforms into a teenage girl who must survive her biggest challenge yet... High School. With help from her new friends who remind her of Ponyville's Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, she embarks upon a quest to find the crown and change the destiny of these two parallel worlds."[20][21]

The Australian DVD of Equestria Girls included a slightly updated synopsis: "When her crown is stolen from the Crystal Empire, Twilight Sparkle pursues the thief, Sunset Shimmer, into an alternate world where she finds herself turned into...a teenage girl! To regain her crown and return to Equestria, Twilight must learn how to fit into this strange new world and defeat Sunset Shimmer in a competition to become crowned Princess of the Fall Formal at Canterlot High. Luckily, she'll have the assistance of Spike and five teenage girls who remind her of a certain group of ponies back home."

A list of participating U.S. theaters was available on Screenvision's website, and participating Canadian theaters was found on Cineplex Entertainment's website as well as Empire Theatres' website. On May 28, 2013, Shout Factory and Hasbro Studios signed a deal for distributing the film to other countries shortly after its limited theatrical run in the United States.[22] The film was released in various Village Cinemas locations throughout Australia on August 24, 2013.[23]

Home media

My Little Pony Equestria Girls was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 6, 2013. Special features included:

It was made available for streaming on Netflix on October 4, 2013.[25]

Alongside Rainbow Rocks and Friendship Games, this film will be released in a box set on October 13, 2015 in Region 1.[26]

Television

For list of changes to the Hub Network's and Discovery Family's initial broadcast of Equestria Girls, see /Television edits.

The movie premiered on the Hub Network on September 1, 2013.[27] In Germany, the German dub of the movie aired on August 3, 2013 at 5:00 PM and August 4, 2013 at 1:35 PM (local time) on Nickelodeon.[28] A Hungarian dub of the film premiered on the Minimax channel on September 29, 2013.[29] On September 22, 2013, the film premiered on YTV in Canada. The film premiered in Russia, CIS, EU and Worldwide on January 5, 2014 on the Carousel/Carousel International[30].

Sequel

Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks

A sequel to the film entitled My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks was announced as part of Hasbro's press kit at the 2014 International Toy Fair. The sequel was released in American and Canadian movie theaters on September 27, 2014.[31] The plot involves a battle of the bands. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray a little over a month later on October 28, 2014.

Book versions

A book variant of the film's sequel's accompanying animated shorts, titled My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks, was posted on Hachette Book Group's website and enlists the book for an April 8, 2014 release.[32] On April 2, 2014, it was confirmed by Mike Vogel that the novel is a prequel to the film.[33]

A book variant of the sequel proper, titled My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks: The Mane Event, was posted on Amazon's website and was released on October 7, 2014.[34]

Merchandise

Five "MLP EQUESTRIA" merchandise releases have been listed at Müller in Germany.[35]

A chapter book titled My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: Through the Mirror by G. M. Berrow was released on October 1, 2013.[36] Its synopsis reads: "Get an exciting longer story in our first Super Special chapter book for MY LITTLE PONY. In an effort to regain her stolen crown, Princess Twilight Sparkle steps through a magical mirror, into a completely new world where some things have changed, but true friendships remain magical!"[37]

Doll versions of the characters are also being released. However, they use different outfits than the ones used in the movie. Deluxe versions of the dolls are being released as well, and they appear to contain their movie outfits in addition to the ones already on the doll. A new wave of glam rock-themed dolls are also being released in the "Rainbow Rocks" set. As of yet, only Rarity is available for pre-order.[38][39]

On February 23, 2015, it was announced that Equestria Girls brushable toys will be in McDonald's Happy Meals; specifically Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Fluttershy.[41]

Nomenclature

Although the word "human" is not used in the film, it is used in promotional material and by crew members to describe both the form of the characters and the universe in which most of the film takes place.

Typeface

My Little Pony Equestria Girls uses a typeface named Stovetop for its subtitle.

Pinkie Pie: [referring to Twilight] That one's tryin' to hide a secret, but I am totally on to her. [whispering] She's psychic!

Sunset Shimmer: When the crown and its power are mine, Twilight Sparkle will be sorry she ever set hoof into this world. Not that she would've been much safer if she stayed in Equestria.

Trixie Lulamoon: The Great and Powerful Trixie! ...Needs some peanut butter crackers.

Rainbow Dash: So what's the plan? How can I help you be princess instead of Sunset Shimmer?

Twilight Sparkle: But... I... lost!

Rainbow Dash: Of course you lost. I'm awesome!

Flash Sentry: So, uh, I was wondering. If you aren't already going with somebody, wanna go to the Fall Formal with me tomorrow night?

Twilight Sparkle: That would be... Tomorrow night!? No, no-no-no-no-no, no no no no no! Nonononono! I can't! The portal! That'll be too late! [panting]

Flash Sentry: One "no" would have been fine!

Twilight Sparkle: I'm glad you followed me here, Spike.

Spike: Me too. Unless, of course, we get stuck here for another thirty moons.

Twilight Sparkle: The Fall Formal isn't happening tonight.

Pinkie Pie: WHAT!?

Twilight Sparkle: It had to be postponed because Sunset Shimmer had Snips and Snails ruin all of Pinkie Pie's decorations.

Pinkie Pie: WHAT?!?

Twilight Sparkle: But the Fall Formal has to happen tonight.

Pinkie Pie: Wha–!

Twilight Sparkle: [sigh] You see...

Pinkie Pie: You're from an alternate world and you're a pony princess there and the crown actually has a magical element embedded in it that helps power up other magical elements, and without it they don't work anymore, and you need them all to help protect your magical world, and if you don't get the crown tonight, you'll be stuck in this world and you won't be able to get back for, like, a really, really long time! [squee]

Rainbow Dash: Yeah, I'm pretty sure that isn't the reason.

Spike: Nope, she's pretty much spot-on.

Rarity: He can talk!?

Spike: Oh, yeah! And back where I come from, I'm not even a dog! I'm a ferocious, fire-breathing dragon!

Fluttershy: This is so amazing! Tell me, what are you thinking right now?

Spike: Sure would love a scratch behind the old ears!

Rarity: Gah...

Spike: Uh, maybe later.

Twilight Sparkle: How did you know all that?

Pinkie Pie: Just a hunch.

Applejack: Wait a minute! Let me get this straight. You're a pony?

Rarity: You're a princess?

Fluttershy: You're from another world?

Twilight Sparkle: [gulp] Mm-hmm.

Rainbow Dash: That... is... awesome!

Pinkie Pie: If I only had some kind of... party cannon that could decorate everything super fast!

Sunset Shimmer: Equestria! Your friends! Lost to you forever! Don't you see what I'm about to do to the portal?

Twilight Sparkle: Yes, but I've also seen what you've been able to do here without magic. Equestria will find a way to survive without my Element of Harmony. This place might not if I allow it to fall into your hands. So go ahead, destroy the portal. You are not getting this crown!

Principal Celestia: A true princess in any world leads not by forcing others to bow before her, but by inspiring others to stand with her. We have all seen that you are capable of just that. I hope you see it too, Princess Twilight.

Twilight Sparkle: I do.

Spike: Those are my girls! Woo-hoo!

"Brawly Beats": Did that dog just talk? Whoa. Weird.

Spike: Seriously? The talking dog is a weird thing about all this?

Princess Celestia: Sunset Shimmer, is she alright?

Twilight Sparkle: I think she's gonna be fine. I left her in good hands.

Rainbow Dash: What are hands?

Applejack: Oooh! Somepony's got a crush on the new guy!

Twilight Sparkle: No. No, I don't.

Rarity: [gasp] She does! She absolutely does!

Twilight Sparkle: Don't be ridiculous. I don't even know him. He just...

Pinkie Pie: Totally reminds you of a guy you met in the other world who played guitar, was in a band, and helped prove you didn't destroy all the decorations for a big dance, so you could still run for princess of the big dance, and then asked you to dance at that dance?! [big breath] Right?